Maekar Targaryen
King Maekar I Targaryen was the fourteenth king of the Targaryen dynasty to sit on the Iron Throne. He was formally styled as Maekar of the House Targaryen, the First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. Maekar's personal sigil was the normal Targaryen sigil, quartered, so that it repeated four times."Justice of the Seven Kingdoms" Biography Background Maekar was the fourth son and fifth child of King Daeron II Targaryen and Queen Myriah Martell. His siblings were Baelor, Aerys I, Aelinor, and Rhaegel. He wed Dyanna of House Dayne with whom he had three sons: Aerion, who ultimately killed himself by drinking wildfire; Aemon, who would become a Maester at Castle Black and a member of the Night's Watch; and Aegon V Targaryen, who would succeed him to the Iron Throne."Baelor" Although he was the fourth son, a rather grim chain of events ultimately led to his ascension to the Iron Throne. First, he accidentally killed his oldest brother Baelor in the Trial by Seven of Duncan the Tall, which was ironically provoked by his eldest son Aerion."The Kingsguard" This led to the ascension of the second son, Aerys I, who died without issue. The third son, Rhaegel, either predeceased both Aerys and Maekar or was skipped over because he had succumbed to the "Targaryen madness" that has afflicted many members of House Targaryen due to multiple generations of compound inbreeding, hence the throne passed to Maekar instead. Season 1 When revealing his true identity and origins to Jon Snow, Maester Aemon mentions the name of his father. Image gallery The Hammer and the Anvil.png|Maekar (right) battles his brother Baelor in the Trial by seven of Duncan the Tall. Maekar's shield bears his personal sigil. Family tree In the books In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Maekar Targaryen is the fourteenth Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne. He was the fourth son of King Daeron II and Myriah Martell. As the son of Daeron II, he was also the grandson of King Aegon IV Targaryen. Maekar was given the Targaryen seat of Summerhall, and was a capable army commander who served in the Blackfyre Rebellion. As the fourth son of the King, Maekar did not expect to inherit and had to live in the shadow of his older brother Baelor Breakspear, who was widely believed to be everything a king could want in a son and everything a kingdom would want in a king. A rivalry of sorts developed between the brothers, with Maekar hoping that his four sons could outdo the deeds of Baelor's two. However, of his four sons, his eldest proved a drunk, plagued by visions that often emerged in those of Targaryen ascent. His second son Aerion was cruel and prideful while, of the younger two, Aemon was bookish and Aegon was willful. With Daeron a disappointment, Maekar put all his hopes in Aerion and sent Aemon to study at the Citadel. However, when Aerion's cruelty indirectly caused the death of Baelor Breakspear in a Trial by Seven at the tourney of Ashford Meadow, Maekar sent his son to Lys, to remove him from Westeros. Aerion would later die drinking a cup of wildfire, believing it would shed his mortal appearance and allow him to be reborn as a dragon. Even more better than his son's cruelty was the fact that Baelor's death came at Maekar's own hand, as they had fought on opposing sides during the Trial. Branded as a kinslayer by many, Maekar's reputation, along with that of his uncle Bloodraven's (who was widely believed to be a sorcerer), was believed by many in the realm as one of the reasons for the hardships that struck the Seven Kingdoms following Ashford Meadow. The Great Spring Sickness tore through Westeros, killing thousands, including Baelor's children, Valarr and Matarys, and Good King Daeron himself. With his father and nephews dead, Maekar witnessed his bookish, older brother ascend the throne as Aerys I. Aerys slighted Maekar by passing him over as his choice for Hand of the King, granting the honor instead to their uncle Bloodraven. Angered by the perceived slight, Maekar left court and withdrew to his seat at Summerhall where the smallfolk and lords alike claimed he 'brooded' and 'sulked'. A two-year drought did little to ease the tensions in the realm, nor did the knowledge that the Blackfyre rebels remained in exile in Tyrosh, with many friends in Westeros. The rivalry between Maekar and Bloodraven also worried many, who knew that once King Aerys died a succession crisis would occur. Maekar and Aerys's brother Rhaegal, the next in the line of succession, was simple-minded, as were his children. Therefore, Maekar would ascend the throne unless Aerys produced an heir. Many feared that such an event would see a war between Maekar and Bloodraven for the throne. After a number of unexpected deaths in the royal family, he came to the throne in 221 AC. Despite the fears his accession would lead to war with his uncle, Maekar confounded expectations by granting Bloodraven the office of Hand of the King once again. Bloodraven would remain in that office for the entirety of Maekar's reign. He ruled until 233 AC, when he fell in battle against a rebel lord. He was the father of Daeron, Aerion, Aemon, Aegon, Rhae, and Daella. Maekar appears as a major character in the Tales of Dunk and Egg prequel novellas. See also * (spoilers from the books) References de:Maekar I. Targaryen es:Maekar I Targaryen fr:Maekar Targaryen nl:Maekar I Targaryen pl:Maekar I Targaryen pt-br:Maekar I Targaryen ru:Мейкар I Таргариен zh:梅卡·坦格利安一世 Category:Valyrians Category:Kings of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men Category:Crownlanders Category:Members of House Targaryen Category:Deceased individuals